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Order of the Tak Lords
The Order of the Tak Lords were an ancient Force-user tradition. Originally founded in the Decuu Empire, the Tak all but disappeared during the War of Lost Souls. At the time they were believed to have been destroyed during the Scouring of Pesht in 1,349 BBY. Recent information suggest that the Tak did lose the majority of their numbers at Pesht, and that their disappearance was a self-imposed exile to prevent further losses. A few Tak remained as advisors to the Decuri Emperor, but the last Tak committed ritual suicide immediately prior to the Unification War. The Tak was thought lost for millenia, but in 14 ABY the last two Tak Lords made themselves known to Emperor Thorn. It was revealed that the Tak had adopted an organization roughly similar to the Sith Rule of Two, mostly out of fear that the human-dominated Confederacy would destroy them if they knew of their existence. The Tak was well received by Thorn who made them a semi-autonomous state-sanctioned organization, and soon after made themselves known to the Confederate public. They recruited several apprentices in an effort to expand their numbers. Since then, the Tak has been represented by Tak Lord and General Baen Talal. History The Order of the Tak Lords, as well as its primary adherents, the Tak Council, was founded sometime around 2,000 BBY by a being known as Kerathan Arguli, said to be a "Decuri not born of Decuri". He - or she, the legends does not state a gender - came to the Decuri and founded the Order to uphold justice in the Decuu Empire. When the Decuri encountered the Fuller Republic, the Tak spoke against war, but was ignored. During the following War of Lost Souls, they fought in the forefront of the Decuri armies, serving as generals and warmasters. The majority of the Tak were killed in the Scouring of Pesht in 1,349 BBY, when the Fuller Republic bombarded the planet Pesht with nuclear weapons, destroying the atmosphere and rendering the world uninhabitable to this day. Afterwards, the remaining Tak split into two factions. One faction exiled themselves to the moon Dieron, while the other remained as advisors to the Decuri Emperor. By 1,030 BBY, only a single advisor remained. This advisor, immortalized as Damun Rarr, committed ritual suicide when the Emperor announced the merging of the Decuu Empire and the Fuller Republic, stating that he'd die before seeing his Empire submit. The few remaining Tak hidden on Dieron remained hidden, biding their time and training their successors, adopting a system much like that of the Sith after the last battle of Ruusan. Finally, in 14 ABY, the last two Tak Lords - Rhiannon DeVij and Baen Talal - made themselves known to Emperor Thorn. The Tak was well received by Thorn who made them a semi-autonomous state-sanctioned organization, and soon after made themselves known to the Confederate public. They began recruiting several apprentices in an effort to expand their numbers, but their numbers remained small by 17 ABY. In 17 ABY, the Tak hosted a convention between Force traditions on the moon of Dieron. Differences from the Jedi The Tak tradition had many similarities to that of the old Jedi Order, which lead some experts to believe that the Tak was somehow related to the Jedi. The only real differences between the Tak and the Jedi are detailed below: Tak accepted ritual suicide - called Athsani - in extreme cases, their circlets, and their weaponry. All Tak Lords wielded so-called Force Swords, which enabled them to channel the Force through the weapon, making it indestructible - even to lightsabers. In addition, the sword generated a powerful energy field, enabling it to cut through any material with relative ease. Beliefs The Tak did not believe in the Force as such; rather, the Force was a manifestation of the Kos'var'da. The gods Ar'gul, Be'ran and Ke'rath together formed the Arbét - the Light Side - while their sister Sin'dine formed the Sindi - the Dark Side. To be a Tak was to be a champion of the Arbét. The cult known as the Fallen followed Sin'dine, and considered themselves champions of the Sindi. Athsani Unlike the Jedi, the Tak accepted ritual suicide - called Athsani - in extreme cases. The suicide was achieved by stabbing a dagger into one's gut and slicing it upwards, until the dagger cut apart one's heart. It was a painful, but relatively swift way to die. Alternatively, it could be performed by a fellow Tak, who decapitated the Tak in question with one, swift stroke once the dagger had entered the gut. Athsani was usually reserved for times, when one is out of choices. Rather than make a bad choice, Athsani was seen as the honourable way out. In addition, in extreme circumstances, a disgraced Tak could choose - or even be sentenced - to commit Athsani, thus restoring his honour. Circlets The Tak wore circlets imbued with the Force, which enhanced their connection to the Force and made certain Force techniques easier. They were only created for Tak of Blade level and above. Like the force swords, they were bonded to a specific wearer, and could not be used by anyone else once bonded. Force Swords The traditional weapon of the Tak, a force sword was made of a special alloy that could channel Force energy, making it virtually indestructible and able to cut through any material with relative ease. Once forged, a sword was bonded to a specific wielder, and could not be used by anyone else once bonded. Rune Armour The rune armour of a Tak could be worn by all Tak of Blade level and above. It was constructed of the same alloy as the force sword, and the channelling of Force energy strengthened the armour to the point of being able to resist even a lightsaber. Like the force sword, it was bonded to a specific wearer, and could not be used by anyone else once bonded. Force techniques and practices Force Techniques The Tak placed a high value on the techniques known as Force Concealment and Force Cloak, techniques that had served them well countless times, and all Tak were taught to use them to some extent. They were also trained extensively in the Core Powers. They also had access to several Force techniques through ancient Tak holocrons. These included: Alter Environment, Animal Friendship, Battle Meditation, Combustion, Comprehend Speech, Detoxify Poison, Dopplegänger, Electric Judgment, Force Deflection, Force Sight, Force Stun, Force Valor, Force Weapon, Instinctive astrogation, and Thought shield. Naturally, Tak of various persuasions knew different techniques, with some techniques, especially Battle Meditation, Combustion and Dopplegänger, being exceedingly rare. In addition, they knew how to create implants known as Tak regenerators, which stimulated cell growth, as well as the secret behind creating Watchers. Finally, the Tak also had several techniques unique to them, such as Force Flame. Fighting Styles The Tak made use of two unique fighting style; one necessitated by their use of swords, called the Silent Path, and an unarmed style called Dim Wa. Practices The Tak used several secret remedies, including a tea made from gurr-root for meditation purposes. Types There were several types of Tak, depending on the emphasis they put on combat skills and Force skills respectively: Autarch Autarchs were the warriors of the Tak, equal in outlook to Jedi Guardians. Seer Seers were the scholars of the Tak, equal in outlook to Jedi Consulars. Warlock Warlocks sought to strike a balance between the Autarchs and the Seers, and were equal in outlook to the Jedi Sentinels. Ranks Tak Initiate – a Force-sensitive trainee, chosen by the Order. At a young age, youths were removed from their families and assigned to the Temple of the Black Flame on Dieron for training. Initiates were taught in communal groups known as coteries. Tak Apprentice – an initiate who began serious tutelage under a single Tak Blade or Tak Lord. In order to graduate to Apprentice status, an Initiate was required to be chosen by a Blade or Lord and taken as their sole pupil. If an initiate was not chosen to be a Apprentice by 15 years of age, the initiate was trained to be a servant in the Temple, or they could choose to leave the Order. Tak Blade – a disciplined Apprentice could become a fully trained Tak Blade once they completed "the trials." The known trials were, but weren't limited to: the Trial of Flesh, the Trial of Courage, the Trial of Skill and the Trial of Self (also known as "facing the mirror"). Tak Lord – a Tak Blade who showed great understanding of the Force and managed to instruct an Apprentice and train them successfully to the level of a Tak Blade. This title could also be achieved through the performance of extraordinary deeds. Self-proclamation of the Tak Lord title was rare and frowned upon by the Order. Apprenticeship A Tak Blade or Tak Lord could have only one apprentice at a time, and the Apprentice had to be promoted to the rank of Tak Blade before another apprentice could be chosen. This rule was waived after 17 ABY in light of the limited number of Tak, and all Tak of Blade level or above took several apprentices. Category:Force-based OrganisationsCategory:Jagtai